The Even Keel

Michelle Cottle writes that Barack Obama maybe seems too calm and detached to connect with Americans at a time when we seem to face many crises and most people are feeling a lot of anxiety. Maybe. But on the other hand, isn’t there something reassuring about the idea of a steady hand on the ship of state? To me, John McCain’s tendency to issue overblown statements in response to everything that happens is a little distressing.

Tastes differ, I suppose. Still, my guess is that this is the sort of personal contrast that will form a post hoc explanation for the electoral outcome irrespective of what that outcome is. If Obama loses, his “detachment” will be said to have played a key role, whereas if he wins McCain’s “hothead” image will have been deemed inappriate for troubled times.